By Eric Vandewall
May 20th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing these regular updates with our community to keep you informed of what is happening at Joseph Brant Hospital and to seek your help to move out of this third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, I would like to say thank you. Thank you for following public health measures. Thank you for getting vaccinated. Thank you for continuing to show your support for our hardworking staff and physicians in your emails, phone calls, Join the J lawn signs, available at www.jointhej.ca, and social media posts. With your help, we are moving in a more positive direction.
We are starting to see the pressure on critical care bed capacity easing. Today the number of COVID-19 patients receiving critical care is 718: 494 of these patients are on a ventilator. Today, JBH is at 82% capacity. We are currently caring for 13 patients with confirmed COVID-19 as well as presumed and resolved cases – 11 of the confirmed COVID-19 patients are in Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Yesterday it was announced that hospitals across the province can gradually resume surgeries and procedures as able, based on capacity and resources. Our teams are planning the resumption of scheduled care, ensuring the safety of our patients, staff, and physicians. If you were impacted by a deferral, your surgeon or physician will contact you with more information as soon as available.
While we are seeing a decrease in acute care cases, as well as daily new COVID-19 case numbers, it is important to put this information into perspective. The daily case numbers we are seeing now are equal to the number reported during the peak of the second wave. Ontario’s hospital occupancy rate is still very high and it will take time for this rate to decrease to acceptable levels.
The reality is we are still very much in this third wave. By following public health measures, the risk of transmission decreases, and so does the number of severely ill COVID-19 patients in our hospitals.
Vaccination is also a key ally in our fight to stop the spread of the virus. As of today, more than 260,000 Halton residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine offered through regional clinics, pharmacies and family physicians. I am proud to report that since March 12, the Halton Region COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at Joseph Brant Hospital has administered over 22,000 doses. We have also started to increase the number of available appointments per day. In less than a week, we expect to reach 25,000 doses.
There is more good news – anyone age 18 and up is can now make an appointment to get vaccinated. This is a very positive development that will also help us out of this third wave safely and stronger than before. I encourage everyone who is eligible to make an appointment: either online at www.halton.ca/covidvaccine or call 311 if you need assistance.
Some of you may have questions or concerns about getting vaccinated. Please talk to your doctor or go to credible sources like Halton Region, the Ontario government and Health Canada for more information. During the recent Immunization Awareness Week, our own Dr. Dale Kalina answered a series of questions from our community related to vaccine. I invite you to watch these short video clips on our Instagram page.
Please continue to look after each other. Stay safe and thank you once again for your unwavering support of our hospital.
Eric Vandewall: President and CEO Joseph Brant Hospital
Eric Vandewall is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Joseph Brant Hospital. He was appointed in 2009 and took on the task of adding additional space and a completely new wing to the hospital.
